Presents Virgil's epic poem about Aeneas and his journey west from ruined Troy to the founding of a new nation in Italy. The Aeneid is an examination of leadership, a study of the conflict between duty and desire, a meditation on the relationship of the individual to society and of art to life, and a Roman's reflection on the dangers, and the allure, of Hellenistic culture. It represents both Virgil's tribute to Homer, and his attempt to re-imagine and surpass the Homeric model.